I like skinless and boneless sardines in water from Portugal or Morocco. I'm still looking for Sardines from Sardinia. :)

;D ;D

Posted by: Stargate, Monday, May 17, 2010, 4:07am; Reply: 5

Speaking of sardines--I enjoyed some for breakfast this morning with a salad. So delicious and satisfying!! Also so easy and lightweight to take hiking:) OR great on a trip to town, when you know you don't want to stop to eat, or if you think your errands might take longer, they really 'hold you over'.

Posted by: DenverFoodie, Monday, May 17, 2010, 4:15am; Reply: 6

Where have all the sardines gone?

Sardine is a small fish of the herring family. It received its name from being taken abundantly off the coast of Sardinia. The true sardine is a tunny. They are abundant in the Mediterranean and off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. They are salted, boiled in oil and packed in flat,, tin boxes containing oil. In this form they are exported as a delicacy to all countries. The supply of true sardines is now considerably reduced and is not sufficient to supply the market. As a result, sprats, pilchards and other small herring have been preserved in oil and sold under the name of sardines.

Posted by: Goldie, Monday, May 17, 2010, 5:03am; Reply: 7

very interesting :) so now we need to know which of these some react to as beneficials while others are avoids.. ?????

The supply of true sardines is now considerably reduced and is not sufficient to supply the market. As a result, sprats, pilchards and other small herring have been preserved in oil and sold under the name of sardines.

More research needs to be done to verify what percentage of non-sardine fish is being used and who packages it like that.

Where have all the sardines gone? They are salted, boiled in oil and packed in flat,, tin boxes containing oil. In this form they are exported as a delicacy to all countries. The supply of true sardines is now considerably reduced and is not sufficient to supply the market. As a result, sprats, pilchards and other small herring have been preserved in oil and sold under the name of sardines.

Doesn't this seem wrong somehow?? Like false advertising ??) It certainly has an impact on people who may react to any of those other fish ::)

Also - I would love to know what oil they are boiled in??? That could also make a difference... :-/ ??)

Posted by: Rex, Monday, May 17, 2010, 11:08am; Reply: 10

I prefer sardines with skin & bones...I just mash them up with onion...the onion helps hide the fishy taste. I think that eating the bones is beneficial. The bones are so soft that I don't even sense them...just adds a bit of crunch.

Posted by: Andrea AWsec, Monday, May 17, 2010, 11:50am; Reply: 11

"sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae.[1] Sardines were named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, where they once lived in abundance.[2]The terms sardine and pilchard are not precise, and the usual meanings vary by region. Britain's Sea Fish Industry Authority for example classifies sardines as young pilchards.[3] One criterion suggests that fish shorter in length than 6 inches (15 cm) are sardines, and larger ones pilchards.[4] The FAO/WHO Codex standard for canned sardines cites 21 species that may be classed as sardines;[5] FishBase, a comprehensive database of information about fish, calls at least six species pilchard, over a dozen just sardine, and many more with the two basic names qualified by various adjectives."

Posted by: PCUK-Positive, Monday, May 17, 2010, 12:13pm; Reply: 12

Sardine poisoning (clupeotoxin): Some sardines contain toxins (Clupeotoxin) which can be poisonous to humans if eaten. Heat does not destroy the toxin and there is still uncertainty as to the origin of the toxin. The toxin appears to be present in higher concentrations in summer and is believed to be possible linked to the consumption of toxic food in its food web. The size and age of the sardines does not appear to be related to the toxicity. The sardines are found in coastal waters off Africa and the Caribbean, Indian and Pacific Oceans

Emily has a Sardine intolerance, and funny enough a ell and a herring intolerance - all linked possibly to the canning (we use olive oil)

you just can't beat catching the food yourself eh?

Posted by: PCUK-Positive, Monday, May 17, 2010, 12:17pm; Reply: 13

Portuguese / Spanish sardine taste horrible to us, must be something different in them.

Is there any information on mackerels, as M kind of had a reaction to them after we stopped using sardines. maybe it was just because she was very sensitive at the time.

Posted by: Andrea AWsec, Monday, May 17, 2010, 12:18pm; Reply: 14

Mackerel is high in mercury :-/

Posted by: Ribbit, Monday, May 17, 2010, 12:20pm; Reply: 15

Yeah....this isn't just a sardine problem. There have been numerous articles saying restaurants often sell fish named something "fancy" when it's just plain ole cheap fish. The question is do the restaurants know they're doing it, or was it the fishermen who misnamed/lied?

It concerns me that I might not be eating sardines. I just started with the whole sardine thing (I like mine on salad too), and.......what if...... >:(

Posted by: Andrea AWsec, Monday, May 17, 2010, 12:23pm; Reply: 16

I think for our purposes It would depend on how it is defined by the data base that Dr. D used.

Lloyd will know. :)

Posted by: ruthiegirl, Monday, May 17, 2010, 1:38pm; Reply: 17

If your body is craving the nutrients in small fish, and you eat a can of small fish labelled "sardines", then you're still getting the nutrients from eating small fish, right?

Posted by: speedy, Monday, May 17, 2010, 2:17pm; Reply: 18

I eat a tin of sardines in olive oil nearly every day - never tire of them - when in brine or water I get arthritic knees so olive oil definately the best for me!

Posted by: PCUK-Positive, Monday, May 17, 2010, 2:40pm; Reply: 19

ruthie, if you crave sugar, you wouldn't et it would you. also if there is mercury or a toxin in the sardine it may counterbalance the goodness

What do you think on tinned food for nichel allergy ? I wonder if I should avoid alltogether tinned food, just glass is safe perhaps. As an A beans and sardines are beneficial, but I must avoid nichel at my best.Maria Giovanna

;D ;D ;D Will it never end?? It definitely provides a humorous tale...

Makes a whale of a tail doesn't it? ::)

Posted by: Lola, Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 4:28pm; Reply: 31

citric or ascorbic acid in the packaging process?

I d ask the company

Posted by: Victoria, Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 4:40pm; Reply: 32

This is a company worth being familiar with. Many natural food stores carry this brand, and it could be worth asking yours to bring in this line of canned fish. High integrity folks.http://www.wildplanetfoods.com/

Posted by: kauaian, Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 12:14am; Reply: 33

Are there sardines on the gulf coast? They come automatically with oil. ;D

I can't agree more with Victoria. Wild planet has the best canned seafood hands down.

Last year, I discovered that smoked sardines don't agree with my digestion and now only eat unsmoked ones. Vital Choice is where I order canned sardines in organic extra virgin olive oil. Caught off the Atlantic coast of Portugal.

Posted by: Mother, Thursday, September 18, 2014, 8:21pm; Reply: 40

Good news Victoria,

I eat mostly salmon, tuna and their baby Oregon shrimp. I had (still slightly) histamine issues and smoked foods are very high in histamine. I stopped sardines awhile ago and they just haven't appealed to me lately. But I do have to say every time I eat them I wonder why they don't appeal to me. Same with kipper snacks because I do actually like them. I feel confident wild planets tuna and salmon are low in both mercury and contaminates. The 'new' thing now is as long as the fish contain more selenium than mercury, the selenium binds to the mercury and removes it. Who knows if this is true but I MUST have my fish. I went a long time without it to try to reduce my histamines but back on it now and love it. I love cod, whitefish and trout too. They are usually dinner and WP is lunch.